Friction wheel pocket lighter



Jan- 23, 1940- H. DROLLINGER 2,188,000

FRICTION WHEEL POCKET LIGHTER I Filed June 2, 1937 0 Fig.6

ZweIzZonhwy? - Patented Jan. 23, 1940 UNITED STA-res PATENT OFFICE 2,188,000 rmo'rion wnam. rocxn'r LIGHTER Hermann Drollinger; Pioraheim, Germany Application June 2, 1937, Serial No. 146,104

- In Germany March 30, 1937 3 mm. (Cl. 67- 'l.1)

This invention relates to a bemiine ppcket lighter, the friction wheel of which is connected in such a manner with the lid carrying the wick hood, that this hood when swinging upwards, this being automatically eflected after the releasing of a locking device under spring action, suddenly rotates the friction wheel, whereby igniting sparks are produced.

Pocket lighters of this type areknown, but

1. they mostly possess the inconvenience that the spring which raises the lid is too feeble, or weak ens after having been used a short time, so that -it can no longer cause a very rapid rotation-oi the friction wheel rubbing on the cerium stone,

18 and thus produce a strong jet'oi sparks.

These and other inconveniences are overcome by the invention.

The novelty consists in that the spring acting upon the lid which'carries the wick cap consists 20 of a wire spiral acting as pressure spring. and which is arranged in a capsule like container composed of two' telescoped tubular pieces designed to protect the spring against influences coming from the. outer side, this container being as supported, at the one end by a hingle axle below the axle around which the lid oscillates and at v the other end by the body of the pocket lighter.

Not only the decrease of the spring power nec essary for producing a strong spark jet is avoided,- pbut also a reliable part-rotating oi the friction wheel and a tight fitting oi the lid and thereby ofthe wick hood in the possibility of easy cleaning are ensured as will be seen from thetollowing description.

35' An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing in which a Fig. '1 shows in elevation the bodyof a pocket lighter with wick hood raised. Fig. 2 shows the top part of the pocket lighter in vertical section.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view otFig. 1. Fig. 4 shows on a larger scale a part side elevation of Figs. 1 or 2 partly in section on line l-Gori la}. 1

r Fig. 5 shows the top part of the pocket lighter, the wick hood being lowered. Fig. 6 shows in elevation the pocket lighter with the covering sleeve pushed on the same. Fig. '1 is a top plan view of Fig. 8. Figs. 8, 9 and 10 show constructional details of the igniting and releasing device.

On the top end of the body a of the pocket I lighter two uprights b are mounted in which the ends c oi the axle d are iournalled. Tube e for gages with the other hole qz.

the covering position and the cerium stone extending into the bezine chamber f (Fig. 4) ends between these uprights b. A blade spring 7:. carrying on its free end the wick hood 9 is fixed on the axle d by means of two cheeks i forming, together with the blade spring 5 h a T-shaped piece, one of these cheeks 13 having a sit k (Fig. 8) so that an inwardly directed feed pawl m (Fig. 4) can be bent oil this check. This part h, i, Fe, m bearing againstthe inner side of lid n Fig. 2) participates in the oscillating movement and opening movement of this lid. During the opening movement the feed pawl m engages in the lateral teeth of friction wheel 0 (Fig. 4) and suddenly rotates this friction wheel over the cerium stone p so that sparks are produced. The sudden oscillating movement of lid n is caused by a pressure spring q located in two capsule-like tubes qi and q: which are telescoped the one in the other. The spring q is thus protected against exterior. influences, for instance against contact with benzine, against dirtying and rusting. Each end plate of the two tubes qt, Q: has a hole. A hook or fixed on thebody a of the pocket lighter engages in'the'hole oi the outer tube q: and a bolt 11 rigidly connected with the forked piece 1' which is hingedly connected with lid 11. underneath the ;axle d en- The spring container formed by the two tubes q1 and is thus held in inclined position descending towardsthe so irictionwheel 0, so that the spring q produces through the intermediary of the fork' piece 1' forming a one-armed lever, an extraordinarilyrapid rotation. of the friction wheel 0.

Owing to the blade spring h, i, in forming the feed pawl m being mounted on the axle d with its two cheeks i, secure engagingof pawl m into the teeth of friction wheel 0 is ensured and therewith also' the reliable rotating or this wheel during the opening of, lid 11. The blade spring prop- 40 er h isslightly bent away from the inner side of lid -n so that the wickhood g already rests resiliently on the upper edge of the wick tube s before lid n'has reached its final closing position. In this manner a tight closing oithe wick tube 8 is ensured although lid n has the tendency' to assume the open position under the action of spring q. 4 Two hooks t adapted to engage behind the inwardly bent edge m of the lowered lid 11. securely hold this lid in the closing position. These hooks t are held in the closing position by means of a helical wire spring t1, the middle portion of which. forms a; loop t: bearing against gs 2Q pushed over the pocket lighter.

the top plate a: of body a. This loop is wound around the wick tube 3.

The lid n engaged by hooks t is released by a short pressure exerted on lever its in the direction of the arrow A. This jerk produces a short oscillation of hooks t in the direction B, so that hooks t move away from the inwardly directed edge m of lid n, this lid being thereby released and can-oscillate from the closed position shown in Fig. 5 into the open position shown in Figs. 1

and 2. Hooks t are oscillatably mounted in two lugs u by means of an axle 1; which has a square hole in which a lever in is inserted, With this object in view the lever t; has the shape shown 5 in Fig. 9, i. e. is bent from a piece of wire. The

,simple manner the sleeve won the body a of the.

'pocket lighter. If sleeve w, which preferably 26 has air slots 101 for the admission of combustion air and at the same time forms a wind screen for the flame, has to be removed from the body a of the pocket lighter, the resilient arms t4 of the lever t; have first to be pulled out of the square 30 hole of axle v. The bottom plate 10: of sleeve w has an aperture through which the lid n can pass.

I claim: 1. A benzine pocket lighter comprising in combination a lighter body, a wick tube in the upper side of said body, two uprights on said body, an

axle Journalled in said upright, a friction wheel keyed on said axle, a cerium stone bearing against the under side of said friction wheel, a

' lid fixed on said axle, a blade spring bearing against the inner side of said lid and having one end bent slightly away therefrom, two cheeks on the other end of said spring connecting said spring to said axle and forming with said spring 45 a T-shaped piece, a wick hood on the bent end of said spring adapted to rest on said wick tube before said lid is in its final closing position, two cup-like tubes telescoped the one in the other and forming a container, a forked piece formed 0 on the end of one'oi' said tubes and connecting said container to said lid, the other of said tubes having in its outer end a hole, a hook on the upper side of said body engaging in said hole to oscillatably connect said container to said body and forming an abutment for said container, a spiral wire spring accommodated in said container and pressing said tubes apart to swing said lid into its open position.

2. A benzine pocket lighter, comprising in combination a body of the pocket lighter, a wick tube on the upper side of said body, a lid pivotally mounted at one end on said body, an inwardly bent edge at the free end of said lid, two lugs formed on the upper side of said body outside said wick tube, an axle journalled in said lugs and having a square axial hole, vertical hooks one at each end of said axle on the inner side of said lugs and adapted to engage said edge and lock said lid in closed position, a helical wire spring wound on said' axle and pressing said hooks into their position of engagement, and a lever on the outer side of one of said lugs spreading resilient ends of square cross-sectional shape formed on said lever and inserted in said square hole to connect said lever to said axle by friction and adapted under lateral pressure on said lever to oscillate said axle to disengage said hooks from said inwardly bent edge.

3. .A benzine pocket lighter, comprising in combination a body of the pocket lighter, a wick tube on the upper side of said body, a lid pivotally mounted at one end on said body, an inwardly bent edge at the free end of said lid, two lugs formed on the upper side of said body outside said wick tube, an axle iournalled in said lugs and having a square axial hole, vertical hooks one at each end 01' said axle on the inner side of said lugs and adapted to engage said edge and lock said lid in closed position, a helical wire spring wound on said axle and pressing said hooks into their position of engagement, a lever on the outer side of one of said lugs spreading resilient ends of square cross-sectional shape formed on said lever and inserted in said square holeto connect said lever to said axle by friction and adapted under lateral pressure on said lever to oscillate said axle to disengage said.

hooks from said inwardly bent edge, and a case in the form of a wind screw slipped over said body and detachably connected therewith between said lever and said body by the resilient end of said lever.

HERMAN'N DROLIJNGER. 

